Lifting jack

ABSTRACT

A lifting jack is disclosed for use in lifting automotive vehicles and other heavy objects. The jack includes a spur gear placed in slots in a guide housing such that the gear extends out of the guide housing through the slots. A pinion gear located outside the housing engages the spur gear and is driven by lever means to turn the spur gear. A lifting spindle is fastened to the spur gear within the housing.

United States Patent 1191 Meierkort et a1.

[ Dec. 23, 1975 LIFIING JACK [75] Inventors: Jiirgen Meierkort,Wiedenest; Peter Schiifer, Gummersbach, both of Germany [73] Assignee:I'I'l Industries, Inc., New York,

[22] Filed: Jan. 24, 1975 [21] Appl. No: 543,832

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Jan. 28, 1974 Germany 2403853[52] US. Cl. 254/103 [51] Int. Cl. B66F 3/18 [58] Field of Search254/98-107; 74/89.l5 R, 424.8

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1951 Smith 254/1032,738,952 3/1956 Nilson 254/99 2,750,150 6/1956 Lucker 254/103 FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 836,398 4/1'952 Germany 254/103 944,086 8/1956Germany 254/103 856,130 4/1961 United Kingdom 254/103 978,981 1/1965United Kingdom 254/103 Primary Examiner0thell M. Simpson Attorney,Agent, or Firm-J. B. Raden; D. P. Warner v ABSTRACT A lifting jack isdisclosed for use in lifting automotive vehicles and other heavyobjects. The jack includes a spur gear placed in slots in a guidehousing such that the gear extends out of the guide housing through theslots. A pinion gear located outside the housing engages the spur gearand is driven by lever means to turn the spur gear. A lifting spindle isfastened to the spur gear within the housing.

7 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec.23, 1975 Sheet10f2 3,927,864

LIFTING JACK BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of The Invention Thisinvention relates to a jack with a guide housing having a nut which issecured against twisting and carries a jack arm and is axially movableby means of a lifting spindle arranged in the guide housing, and with ajack gearing including a spur gear, a pinion and crank handle. A commonuse of the jack will be with motor vehicles.

2. Description of The Prior Art In the known jacks, the jack gearing isarranged above the guide housing. In this manner, the jack gearingincreases the overall length of the jack. Moreover, practice has shownthat the functioning capability of the jack may be adversely affectedwhen the jack is dropped onto the jack arm in the direction of thelongitudinal axis of the guide housing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Objects of the present invention thereforeinclude the provision of a jack of the type mentioned at the outset,which is designed as compactly as possible, can be manufacturedinexpensively and is insensitive to damage when dropped.

According to this invention, these objects are reached in that the spurgear is disposed inside the guide housing and that in the zone of thespur gear, the guide housing is designed with slots through which thespur gear projects out of the guide housing. It is an advantageousembodiment of the invention that the lifting spindle is axiallysupported, by means of the spur gear via a cage ball-bearing, on a baseplate fastened in further slots of the guide housing. Advantages of thisinvention include the facts that the overall length of the guide housingis not increased by the jack gearing, and that an axial shifting of thespindle and of the spur gear is prevented owing to the arrangement ofslots in the guide housing. Thus, it is secured that the functioningcapability of the jack is not adversely affected when the jack isdropped inadvertantly resp. intentionally. As compared to known jacks,the assembly of this jack is cheapened owing to the fact that the spurgear, the cage ball-bearing and the base plate can be mounted onto thelifting spindle, and that this arrangement can be inserted as one unitinto the slots of the guide housing. Besides the small design, anotheradvantage of the inventive jack is that naturally less materialexpenditure than with comparable jacks is necessary for its manufacture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment is illustrated in thedrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of the entire inventive jack, and

FIG. 2 shows a partial section of the upper part of the inventive jack.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The jack illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2 includes a guide housing 1 with a jack foot 2. In the guidehousing 1, there is a lifting spindle 3 by means of which a nut 4 isaxially movable. In addition to this, nut 4 in guide housing 1 issecured against twisting.

Nut 4 carries a jackarm 5 which when the jack is used is put under themotor vehicle which is to be jacked up. As shown in the drawing, jackarm 5 is swivellingly connected to nut 4 so that arm 5 can be tiltedonto the guide housing 1 in order that the jack can be better placed inthe motor vehicle.

A spur gear 6 is securely connected to the lifting spindle 3. This spurgear 6 rests against a base plate 8 via a cage ball-bearing 7. Baseplate 8 is held in slots 9 and 10 of guide housing 1. Keys 11 and 12 ormaterial deformation of base plate 8 serve as fastening.

As the diameter of spur gear 6 is larger than an external widthdimension of guide housing 1, further slots 13 and 14 have to beprovided in guide housing 1. In this method, spur gear 6 projects out ofslots 13 and 14 and is in engagement with a pinion gear 15 which isarranged at an outside of guide housing 1 and can be rotated by means ofa crank handle 16.

The top of the guide housing I is covered by a cover 18 which may befastened in the slots 13, 14 of guide housing 1.

In the inventive design of the jack, the forces acting upon jack arm 5are supported at guide housing 1 via nut 4, spur gear 6, cageball-bearing 7 and base plate 8.

The guide housing 1 transmits the resultant forces to the jack foot 2. i

To assemble the jack, lifting spindle 3 may be preassembled with baseplate 8, cage ball-bearing 7 and spur gear 6. This unit is then insertedinto guide housing 1. For this purpose, slots 9 and 10 as well as slots13 and 14 naturally must be dimensioned adequately. It is a specialadvantage if the base plate 8 projects with an attachment 17 so far outof slot 9 that the base plate 8 simultaneously serves as a stop forpinion 15.

While the principles of the invention have been described above inconnection with specific apparatus and applications, it is to beunderstood that this description is made only by way of example and notas a limitation on the scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A jack comprising a guide housing, a nut, said guide housingincluding an inside adapted to secure the nut against twisting, a jackarm pivotally connected to the nut, a lifting spindle arranged in theguide housing in engagement with the nut, the nut including meansenabling it to be axially moved in cooperation with the lifting spindle,a spur gear, means inside the guide housing supporting the spur gear, apinion gear, means connecting the pinion gear to a crank handle, meansconnecting the spur gear to the lifting spindle inside the guide housingand means including slots in the guide housing through which the spurgear projects out of the guide housing to engage the pinion gear.

2. A jack as claimed in claim I, in which the means supporting the spurgear includes a cage ball-bearing, a base plate and additional slots inthe guide housing, and in which the spur gear is supported by the cageballbearing on the base plate, and the base plate is secured in theadditional slots in the guide housing.

3. A jack as claimed in claim 2, in which the lifting spindle, the spurgear, the cage ball-bearing and the base plate are formed as a unit andsaid unit issecured in the additional slots in the guide housing.

4. A jack as claimed in claim 2, in which the base plate includes anattachment. and the attachment projects out of one of the slots in theguide housing, enabling the attachment to serve as a stop for the piniongear.

plate includes an attachment projecting through one of the slots in theguide housing, and means including keys for fastening the base plate tothe guide housing.

7. A jack as claimed in claim 1, in which a cover is fastened in theslots in the guide housing.

1. A jack comprising a guide housing, a nut, said guide housingincluding an inside adapted to secure the nut against twisting, a jackarm pivotally connected to the nut, a lifting spindle arranged in theguide housing in engagement with the nut, the nut including meansenabling it to be axially moved in cooperation with the lifting spindle,a spur gear, means inside the guide housing supporting the spur gear, apinion gear, means connecting the pinion gear to a crank handle, meansconnecting the spur gear to the lifting spindle inside the guide housingand means including slots in the guide housing through which the spurgear projects out of the guide housing to engage the pinion gear.
 2. Ajack as claimed in claim 1, in which the means supporting the spur gearincludes a cage ball-bearing, a base plate and additional slots in theguide housing, and in which the spur gear is supported by the cageball-bearing on the base plate, and the base plate is secured in theadditional slots in the guide housing.
 3. A jack as claimed in claim 2,in which the lifting spindle, the spur gear, the cage ball-bearing andthe base plate are formed as a unit and said unit is secured in theadditional slots in the guide housing.
 4. A jack as claimed in claim 2,in which the base plate includes an attachment, and the attachmentprojects out of one of the slots in the guide housing, enabling theattachment to serve as a stop for the pinion gear.
 5. A jack as claimedin claim 2, in which the base plate includes an attachment projectingthrough one of the slots in the guide housing and means fastening theattachment to the guide housing, where said means include materialdeformed from the attachment.
 6. A jack as claimed in claim 2, in whichthe base plate includes an attachment projecting through one of theslots in the guide housing, and means including keys for fastening thebase plate to the guide housing.
 7. A jack as claimed in claim 1, inwhich a cover is fastened in the slots in the guide housiNg.